SPYDERMAN & THE GRAND TOUR OF VIRGINIA

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Warren the "SPYDERMAN" partcipated in the "2024 GRAND TOUR OF VIRGINIA" which benefits the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

To qualifiy for a medal you are asked to find at least 12 of the 15 checkpoints located all over the state of Virginia and answer a question about each location.

The year is coming to and end and Warren needed to get his last check points. Starting at 8:00 am on September 29 he planned on riding, 549 miles in 8:26, which is the time without stops. He started at 8:00 am and pulled into the Quality Inn in Bistol, TN at 8:00 pm.

We got off Highway 81 and headed to the Back of the Dragon Brewery in Tazwell for lunch. Tropical storm Helene has brought damage all the way up to Tazwell. We rode through many areas that had lost power and there was a lot of wind damage. We could see where trees had blocked many of the roads that we were on, but by the time we got there they were all cleared. We were amazed that these small mountain roads miles from civilation had been cleared so fast. It was remarkable.

Warren couldn't decide what beer to have, so many!

When we pulled in to the Black of the Dragon Brewery we were the only motorcycles and we felt a "coolness" in the air from the locals that were there. We could sense this was not a "happy" place and the storm had been rough on Tazwell and its residents. We felt for these people and knew our ride was going to take us to places that had been hit a lot worse.

Our last checkpoint on day one was in Ewing, VA way down in the southwest corner of Virginia, where we were to identify what lives in the field next to the Wilderness Road State Park Visitors Center.

BUG got Warren. He was glad he had his face schield down!!

547 miles on day one

After checking in to the Quality Inn we enjoyed a nice dinner at Drake's. We knew we had found a good place to eat because they had Yuengling on tap.

Day 2 started again at 8:00. Warren had planned to ride 433 miles in 7:17 (without stops)

THE SPYDER!!!

On day 2 we saw more power outages and the remnants of where trees had been cleared from the roads. Heading north toward home we saw a lot of flooding and high water. The rivers were brown and angry looking. Most rivers were high but were in their banks. We rode in off and on showers from Waynesville to home. Temperatures were good and we weren't affected by the rain.

Warren finally let me eat--at my favorite Chick-fil-a

The second day we rode 421 miles. We left the motel at 8:00 and got home at 5:00. Total miles for the 2 days was 968.

The 2022 Honda Gold Wing DCT got 50.7 mpg, used 19.2 gallons of gas, which cost $55.28. Highest price paid for gas was $3.17 and the lowest was $2.75 at the BP in Front Royal!!

We got an up close and personal look at the after affects of the storm. It was something I had never seen before. I have seen it on television, but it is nothing like experiencing it first hand. Most of the areas we rode through had been hurt by the storm and the people seemed to be in shock or maybe like just wakingup from a bad night's sleep. We could feel their pain and felt sorry for them.

I had an "education" ride and learned a lot. Warren is a good riding partner. I don't know whether to call him Spyderman or Superman. As he said, "I definitely got an upperbody workout.

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